Archive for July, 2010

It used to be that even in an office, people moved around. They went to speak with colleagues, they had to photocopy something or send a fax. Today, our desks are literally a command and control centre from which we can quite capably run our little part of the company. We can send the fax from our desk, print to our own printer right beside us and not have to move much.

While productivity is a good thing, we must also remember that we are not designed to sit for long periods of time. Sitting for long periods without moving can cause back discomfort and over long periods can result in back pain. If this is currently the case for you or you want to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you, below are some helpful hints.

If possible, get up every twenty minutes or whatever works for you and walk around. This changes your posture, activates different muscles and allows your vertebrae and discs to move. If getting up and walking around isn’t possible then tip your head slightly to the left and then to the right and allow your upper body to follow. You can also gently twist your torso to the left and right to release some tension and activate different muscles.

Remember our bodies are meant to move not to sit for long periods. By incorporating some movement like getting up, walking or some seated stretches you can sit with greater comfort and less pain.

What’s the relationship between winter weather and a strong core you may ask. Well the two are actually closely connected. As the snow fell in Vancouver today I noticed people walking very gingerly. Why? They didn’t want to slip. When it comes to staying upright we usually think that it is simply a matter of putting one foot ahead of the other — and that’s true. The thing we usually don’t realize is that balance is largely due to our core strength. It is our core that keeps us vertical in any kind of weather. Without core strength supporting our upper bodies we would simply flop over. While there are many ways to build core strength, the easiest one I know is to sit on a Sitfit. Of course, I’m a little biased. But having used one for the past three years, I have experienced the benefits first-hand.

It seems that so many people want to be healthier, and aren’t sure what actions are best to take.

In 2000, I became a personal fitness trainer in order to support individuals in becoming more active, fit and healthy. I am a member of the American Council on Exercise. This complements my Masters degree in the History of Medicine, (from Cambridge, England) and my interest in how we have considered the human body healthy or sick, in different eras – and how we treat disease.

My personal philosophy is that we must take full responsibility for our health. This includes altering our food choices. “Normal” food choices are not the best ones – and “normal” health now seems to include many ailments and pharmaceuticals. “Normal” includes being overweight, diabetic, addicted to caffeine, or nicotine or other substances, and “normal” definitely includes episodes of back pain.

We have many choices in everything we do. I believe the onus is on us to become knowledgeable, and to make good choices – about what we eat, what exercise we do, and even about our posture and back health.

In order to “own” our health, we must first become informed.

By writing entries in this blog, I aim to help you with this.

Welcome to our blog about posture, back pain and core. I say “our”, because this blog is being written by me, Robert, and my wife Carolyn. Both of us bring different perspectives and expertise to the blog. I am an entrepreneur who brings products and services to the market that make a difference for people. Carolyn is a personal trainer with extensive certifications and expertise in the area of healthy aging, clinical conditions and general fitness. She is also an experienced stuntwoman in film and television as well as a springboard and platform diving coach.

My current focus, is creating an online, wholesale and traditional retail business around a product called the Sitfit. The Sitfit is the star of show at www.buildyourcore.com. The product offers multiple benefits in the areas posture, core strengthening and back pain. I feel so strongly about the benefits of the product and am so committed to bringing it to the attention of North Americans that I have become the self-appointed “Sitfit Evangelist”. The blog is not about selling Sitfits though.

Carolyn and I are committed to providing you with insights, ideas and background in areas that are important to you. The posts will revolve around the areas in the title as well as related areas. I can’t promise that we won’t make the occasional reference to the Sitfit – but only because we know what a difference it can make. If you feel that a Sitfit is something you want or you know others who could benefit from it then I hope that you will buy one from us. If not, I trust that what you read will be of interest and value.